--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Did men but know that there was a fixed…" description: "\"Did men but know that there was a fixed limit to their woes, they would be able, in some measure, to defy the religious fictions and menaces of the poe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf5/lucretius-1632_able_did-men-but-know-that-there-was-a-fixed_1162224.png" --- # Did men but know that there was a fixed limit to their… ![“Did men but know that there was a fixed limit to their woes, they would be able, in some measure, to defy the religious fictions and menaces of the poets; but now, since we must fear eternal punishment at death, there is no mode, no means, of resisting them.” quote by Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf5/lucretius-1632_able_did-men-but-know-that-there-was-a-fixed_1162224.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf5/lucretius-1632_able_did-men-but-know-that-there-was-a-fixed_1162224.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf5/lucretius-1632_able_did-men-but-know-that-there-was-a-fixed_1162224.png) > “Did men but know that there was a fixed limit to their woes, they would be able, in some measure, to defy the religious fictions and menaces of the poets; but now, since we must fear eternal punishment at death, there is no mode, no means, of resisting them.” [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. If humans knew their suffering had limits, they could challenge religious fears and poetic threats. **In simple terms:** Knowing limits could free us from fear. Key Takeaway Question the limits of suffering. Themes religion philosophy freedom Mood reflective skeptical Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - personal crisis - public discourse - mental health therapy Key Concepts Stoicism existentialism secularism Questions to Reflect On - What limits of suffering can you identify? - How might belief in limits change your actions? A Different Perspective The claim assumes knowledge of limits is attainable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Able](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Defy Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defy-religious-2947877/) [Eternal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eternal/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fixed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fixed/) [Fixed Limit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fixed-limit-3332803/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Limits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limits/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Menace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/menace/) [Menaces Poets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/menaces-poets-3332802/) [Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poet/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Poets Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poets-fear-3332801/) [Punishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punishment/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/) [Resisting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resisting/) [Woe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/woe/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/) ## Related quotes > [The avarice person is ever in want; let your desired aim have a fixed limit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/the-avarice-person-is-ever-in-want-let-your-desired-aim-have-a-fixed/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [Mehmet was the first sultan, and one of the first Muslims anywhere, to defy religious tradition by allowing his portrait to be made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/mehmet-was-the-first-sultan-and-one-of-the-first-muslims-anywhere-to/) [Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/) > [I certainly felt I had an idea of World War II, and it's probably the idea that many people share: there was this insane…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholson-baker/i-certainly-felt-i-had-an-idea-of-world-war-ii-and-it-s-probably-the/) [Nicholson Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholson-baker/) > [The project you are most resisting carries your greatest growth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/the-project-you-are-most-resisting-carries-your-greatest-growth/) [Robin Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/) > [If you really stop resisting someone or stop judging them or stop being afraid of them or stop imagining they're going to do something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-canfield/if-you-really-stop-resisting-someone-or-stop-judging-them-or-stop/) [Jack Canfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-canfield/) > [Who then is free? The wise who can command his passions, who fears not want, nor death, nor chains, firmly resisting his appetites and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/who-then-is-free-the-wise-who-can-command-his-passions-who-fears-not/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [“mostly I have found myself resisting their sadness when I have so much of my own.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/mostly-i-have-found-myself-resisting-their-sadness-when-i-have-so/) [Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/) > [Those who deny the right of a jury to protect an individual in resisting an unjust law of the government, deny him all defence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/those-who-deny-the-right-of-a-jury-to-protect-an-individual-in/) [Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysander-spooner/) > [It occurs to me that for a long time she has been doing her own version of resisting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/it-occurs-to-me-that-for-a-long-time-she-has-been-doing-her-own/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [Paraphrased: The way of al-Junayd includes among other things abstaining constantly from resisting God Most High in whatever happens to one, whether good or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-ata-allah/paraphrased-the-way-of-al-junayd-includes-among-other-things/) [Ibn Ata Allah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-ata-allah/) > [Resisting a beautiful chocolate cake or a wonderful foie gras is as difficult as (the idea of) saying no to Paul Newman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-von-furstenberg/resisting-a-beautiful-chocolate-cake-or-a-wonderful-foie-gras-is-as/) [Diane von Furstenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-von-furstenberg/) > [So if there was a way that I knew something about my character's desires or the things that they were resisting because I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-antopol/so-if-there-was-a-way-that-i-knew-something-about-my-character-s/) [Molly Antopol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-antopol/) > [Resisting and avoiding pain sucks energy-and time. The more you let yourself feel those minute-and-a-half hells, the quicker you'll start feeling those minute-and-a-half happinesses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-newman/resisting-and-avoiding-pain-sucks-energy-and-time-the-more-you-let/) [Leigh Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-newman/) > [Almost immediately, I remember right when Tikrit even fell, a few days after Baghdad fell, there was talks of insurgency, there was talks of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farnaz-fassihi/almost-immediately-i-remember-right-when-tikrit-even-fell-a-few-days/) [Farnaz Fassihi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farnaz-fassihi/) > [Once the war began, the government could do anything 'necessary' to win it; so it was with the 'final solution of the Jewish problem,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-mayer/once-the-war-began-the-government-could-do-anything-necessary-to-win/) [Milton Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-mayer/) ## More by Lucretius > [The wailing of the newborn infant is mingled with the dirge for the dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/the-wailing-of-the-newborn-infant-is-mingled-with-the-dirge-for-the/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [“Watch a man in times of adversity to discover what kind of man he is; for then at last words of truth are drawn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/watch-a-man-in-times-of-adversity-to-discover-what-kind-of-man-he-is/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [First, then, I say, that the mind, which we often call the intellect, in which is placed the conduct and government of life, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/first-then-i-say-that-the-mind-which-we-often-call-the-intellect-in/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [See with what force yon river's crystal stream Resists the weight of many a massy beam. To sink the wood the more we vainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/see-with-what-force-yon-river-s-crystal-stream-resists-the-weight-of/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [“...nothing is more blissful than to occupy the heights effectively fortified by the teaching of the wise, tranquil sanctuaries from which you can look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/nothing-is-more-blissful-than-to-occupy-the-heights-effectively/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [ ... deprived of pain, and also deprived of danger, able to do what it wants, \[Nature\] does not need us, nor understands our deserts,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/deprived-of-pain-and-also-deprived-of-danger-able-to-do-what-it-wants/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [It is a pleasure for to sit at ease Upon the land, and safely for to see How other folks are tossed on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/it-is-a-pleasure-for-to-sit-at-ease-upon-the-land-and-safely-for-to/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [Even if I knew nothing of the atoms, I would venture to assert on the evidence of the celestial phenomena themselves, supported by many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/even-if-i-knew-nothing-of-the-atoms-i-would-venture-to-assert-on-the/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [Nothing from nothing ever yet was born.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/nothing-from-nothing-ever-yet-was-born/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [We plainly perceive that the mind strengthens and decays with the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/we-plainly-perceive-that-the-mind-strengthens-and-decays-with-the-body/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [For piety lies not in being often seen turning a veiled head to stones, nor in approaching every altar, nor in lying prostratebefore the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/for-piety-lies-not-in-being-often-seen-turning-a-veiled-head-to/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [No single thing abides; but all things flow. Fragment to fragment clings - the things thus grow Until we know them and name them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/no-single-thing-abides-but-all-things-flow-fragment-to-fragment/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [What came from the earth returns back to the earth, and the spirit that was sent from heaven, again carried back, is received into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/what-came-from-the-earth-returns-back-to-the-earth-and-the-spirit/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [For thee the wonder-working earth puts forth sweet flowers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/for-thee-the-wonder-working-earth-puts-forth-sweet-flowers/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [No matter how difficult a task may look.. Persistence and steady action will get you through](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/no-matter-how-difficult-a-task-may-look-persistence-and-steady-action/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) [Explore all 221 Lucretius quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/) [Greg Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-perry/) > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/) [Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/) > [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) [Browse all 17,257 Able quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Did men but know that there was a fixed limit to their woes, they would be able, in some measure, to defy the religious fictions and menaces of the poets; but now, since we must fear eternal punishment at death, there is no mode, no means, of resisting them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lucretius" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/did-men-but-know-that-there-was-a-fixed-limit-to-their-woes-they/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Able" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/did-men-but-know-that-there-was-a-fixed-limit-to-their-woes-they/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf5/lucretius-1632_able_did-men-but-know-that-there-was-a-fixed_1162224.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf5/lucretius-1632_able_did-men-but-know-that-there-was-a-fixed_1162224.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf5/lucretius-1632_able_did-men-but-know-that-there-was-a-fixed_1162224.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Did men but know that there was a fixed limit to their woes, they would be able, in some measure, to defy…” — Lucretius", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Lucretius", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Did men but know that there...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/did-men-but-know-that-there-was-a-fixed-limit-to-their-woes-they/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/did-men-but-know-that-there-was-a-fixed-limit-to-their-woes-they/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```